The Times, <span class ="book">Jane Eyre</span>, and the Governness Victorian Web Home —> Social History —> Jane Eyre —> Periodicals —> Punch ] In Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre (1847) Jane, upon completing her time as both pupil and teacher at the Lowood School, decides to apply for a position as a governess. Upon pondering ways by which to find open governess positions, Jane realizes a simple solution: to advertise in the “ — shire Herald”. Jane’s advertisement is short and concise: A young lady accustomed to tuition . . . is desirous of meeting with a situation in a private family where the children are under fourteen...She is qualified to teach the usual branches of a good English education, together with French, Drawing, and Music . . . Address, J.E., Post-office, Lowton, ï¿½shire. After a mere week later, Jane receives word from Thornfield Hall that she will be hired providing she can give the proper character references. Soon following, Jane begins her employment as governess at Thornfield Hall.

Although Jane Eyre is in fact a work of realism, the job of governess in the mid 1800’s was not so pleasant as depicted in Brontë’s novel. In a letter to the editor of The Times from August 29, 1845, a frustrated woman presents her complaints at being “born to be a poor governess.” This anonymous governess further details the miseries that come with the job, explaining that she suffers from “such numerous indignities,” such as “being made a complete gaping-stock” or walking “homeward in humiliation of spirit,” after being declined by a potential employer. An advertisement called “Wanted a Governess” from an 1849 issue of The Times further demonstrates the tediousness of finding work as a governess. The article lists over twenty questions and requirements for a potential governess. On this list the questions range from “are you conversant with the histories of England, Greece, and Rome, and with sacred history?” to “do what religious denomination do you belong?” These stringent requirements underscore the difficult lifestyle of a governess.

From the subject matter and tone of these two articles, it becomes clear that the job of governess was not so easily attainable as portrayed by Brontë in Jane Eyre. Less then a year after the complaints of the frustrated governess, in the Friday, January 9 edition of The Times from 1846, another letter to the editor from a governess appears. This governess, like the previous one, complains not of the hardships in pursuing work but rather at the poverty in which she is forced to live because of her meager governess salary: Sir, — I need not apologize to you for this intrusion, appreciating, as I do, your charity for the unfortunate class in society called governesses . . . I would seriously advise you to recommend parents to teach their children to wash, iron, and scrub floors, since education is no longer appreciated! This “daily governess” comments on the lack of appreciation of education in England during the mid 1800’s, even going so far as to say that children would be better off in a janitorial type position washing and cleaning than pursuing a future in education.

The governess, though she may “toil seven hours in a day” receives little thanks and little monetary compensation for her troubles, while “a menial obtains” kind words of thanks from an employer. And the pay for a years service as governess? Fifty pounds. Jane, while in the employment of Mr. Rochester, earns less then this disheartened governess, making a mere thirty pounds per annum. Stuck in a position of poverty, Jane owns few possessions and has no chance at attaining better work. From these articles, each written within a few years of the publication of Jane Eyre, the hardships and adversities met by governesses in England become easily inferable. Although Jane is treated with respect and kindness during her stay at Thornfield Hall, the actual situations of governesses did not always result in such happy engagements. The role of governess was often a confusing position, found somewhere between servant and peer. By giving Jane the occupation of governess, Brontë allows the reader to see life in Thornfield Hall through the eyes of both a servant and an aristocrat. Bonnie G.

Smith summarizes the agony of the governess in her Changing Lives: Women in European History Since 1700: The governess in the nineteenth century personified a life of intense misery. She was also that most unfortunate individual; the single, middle-class woman who had to earn her own living. Although being a governess might be a degradation, employing one was a sign of culture and means . . . The psychological situation of the governess made her position unenviable. Her presence created practical difficulties within the Victorian home because she was neither a servant nor a member of the family. She was from the social level of the family, but the fact that she was paid a salary put her at the economic level of the servants. Ultimately, the life of a governess was often hard and sad, and Jane experiences a quality of life while working at Thornfield Hall that most governess were not as lucky to receive. Related Material Jane Eyre : Charlotte Bronte : 9781853260209 Charlotte Bronte Classics Back cover copy An orphan who endures a harsh childhood, Jane Eyre becomes governess at Thornfield Hall in the employment of the mysterious Mr. Rochester.

Jane's moral pilgrimage and the maturity of Charlotte Bronte's characterization are celebrated aspects of the novel, as is its imagery and narrative power. Rapidly reprinted following its first publication in 1847, Jane Eyre still enjoys huge popularity as one of the finest novels in the English language. show more About Charlotte Bronte Introduction and Notes by Dr Sally Minogue, Canterbury Christ Church University College. show more Review Text This need not be limited to a juvenile sale. It is a beautiful gift book edition of the famous novel, a favorite of this gifted artist who has been working on it for years. A fine piece of bookmaking. (Kirkus Reviews) show more Customer reviews Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up under her cruel aunt. Highly spirited and natural independence made her look stubborn and wayward to society's norm. Was then decided to be sent off by her aunt to charity school when she was 10 years old. After years of staying in school being a student Her inquisitiveness and eager to reach out and experience the world different from where she was sheltered to live, she then decided to take a job as a governess at Thornfield Hall. Falling in love with Mr.

Rochester also means having to choose between love or self-preservation. If you're reluctant to read this book: Then I say just to grab it, get comfy and give it a try! For two things- One, the main character is fiercely smart, outspoken and quite independent. Two, it's seldom that you read a love story that is considered to be "meeting of the minds and ideals" rather than physical attraction (for the leading man in this book is described to be "ugly" that is through Bronte's description.) Expect it to be a lot different compared to Emily Bronte's writing but still a love story worth reading! show more by R.D-Diaz Jane Eyre | MSS Research Introduction Jane Eyre is a classic novel by Charlotte Brontë that was published in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Company, London, and is one of the most famous British novels. Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead and subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, falls in love with Mr.

Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a richer life than that traditionally allowed women in Victorian society. Synopsis Ten-year-old Jane Eyre is a poor orphan, treated maliciously by her aunt; her plain looks and perceptive and passionate nature do not appeal to her relatives. Eventually Jane is sent to Lowood Institution, a charitable, cheap and strictly kept school for clergyman's daughters. Jane attends this school for over eight years; after a couple years, the standard of living at the school is improved. Jane makes the friends of Helen Burns, and Ms. Temple, a teacher, while she is there. These two individuals greatly affect Jane's personality and character, especially related to personal philosophy, religion, and treatment of others.Her fellow student Helen Burns, who dies young of consumption, encourages Jane to be more humble, patient and forgiving. Jane learns to hide her temper, but the injustices of the world still burn in her soul. Jane spends the last few years at Lowood as a teacher. Miss Temple finally marries, and Jane places an advertisement for a position as a governess in the local paper. Soon she is contacted by a Mrs.

Fairfax, about the position of governess in Millcote, -shire, for a young single girl. Jane gets leave from Lowood and journeys to Millcote to take the position. There she begins as governess for Adèle Varens, a young French girl, and ward of the master of Thornfield Hall, Mr. Rochester. Thornfield Hall is where Jane lives, now. Mr. Rochester is about thirty-eight, with a blunt, capricious temperament. However, Jane admires and respects his honesty, and the two become friends. Jane begins to spend much time with Rochester; they grow a great friendship and affection for each other. Jane begins to realize she is falling in love with Mr. Rochester but believes that Rochester cannot love her in return because of her low status and plain looks.Simultaneous to this, it appears that Rochester is courting the hand of Blanche Ingram, in hopes of marrying her, which pains Jane, who cannot believe that Rochester loves the proud, snobbish Blanche. This turns out to simply be a ploy by Rochester to make Jane jealous, and increase her love for him. One night, Jane hears a strange laugh in the corridor.

Investigating it, she sees that Mr. Rochester's bed is on fire, and manages to quench the flames. Mr. Rochester suggests that the culprit is Grace Poole, an odd servant who lives on the otherwise abandoned third floor. One day, while Mr. Rochester is gone, a mysterious Jamaican gentleman, Mr. Richard Mason, arrives at Thornfield claiming to know Mr. Rochester. That same day, a gypsy woman arrives and wishes to speak with all the single women to tell them their fortunes. Jane is sceptical, but at the gypsy's request, goes anyway. The gypsy tells her that she is close to happiness and points out that she cares about Mr. Rochester. At the end of the conversation, the gypsy reveals herself to be Mr. Rochester, who is distressed when he hears that Mr Mason is there. That night, Jane hears horrible yells and goes up to the third floor to see Mason bleeding, stabbed and bitten. Again, Rochester hints that Grace Poole is the culprit. Jane learns that her Aunt Reed is dying and that she wishes to speak with her, so she travels to Gateshead. Jane goes home for several weeks.

Reed dislikes Jane as much as ever, but wishes to clear her conscience by telling Jane that she had once received a letter from Jane's uncle John Eyre (on her father's side long estranged), who wished to adopt her. Mrs. Reed had spitefully replied that Jane was dead. Jane forgives her, though Mrs. Reed is unwilling to make amends with Jane and dies soon after. She returns to Thornfield Hall, to find Mr. Rochester greatly missing her. During her time at the house, she has noticed the presence of a madwoman in the attic, presumably, Grace Poole. Rochester finally tells her of his love for her. They become engaged. The ceremony approaches, and as it comes closer and closer, Rochester becomes more and more arrogant. Jane declares she will still work once they are married-she will only be his equal. Their relationship becomes off-balance. On the day of the marriage ceremony, the rite is broken up by the entrance of Mr. Mason and Mr.Mrs.Briggs. Here they reveal that Rochester has been previously married. that Mr. Rochester still has a wife living: Mason's sister Bertha. Mr.

Rochester admits the whole story: Bertha is a violent lunatic under the care of Grace Poole, and it was she who lit the fire and attacked her brother. Rochester was forced into the marriage, and never loved her. The marriage doesn't go through; Jane sees Bertha, feels numb, sad, and realizes she cannot marry Rochester out of wedlock, for fear of inequality in their relationship. He begs Jane to be his wife in all but law, but she refuses. Though tempted, her strong moral compass will not let her become a mistress. Fearing that Rochester will detain her, and not trusting herself to resist temptation, Jane sneaks out of Thornfield in the middle of the night. She travels by coach as far as money will take her, then tries to find work and beg for food. She is rescued by St. John (pronounced "Sin-jin") Rivers, a handsome young clergyman, and his two sisters. By a remarkable coincidence, Jane discovers that the Riverses are her cousins, and that their mutual uncle, John Eyre, has died and left Jane his fortune. Jane shares the money with her cousins. Jane goes to live at Moor House with her cousins.

They are happy for a while, and St. John begins to teach Jane Hindostanee. Jane finds him intelligent and greatly admires him, but nevertheless is inwardly wary of his cold power over her.St. John, who plans to go to India as a missionary, asks Jane to accompany him as his wife. However, while Jane has a sisterly affection for St John, she knows he cannot love her as Rochester did. She tries to reject him, but his force of personality and moral persuasion are difficult to refuse. Suddenly, she hears a sudden spectre of Rochester's voice calling her from the near garden supernaturally. She takes it as a sign, and the next day leaves from Whitcross in a coach to see what has happened to Rochester. She hurries to Thornfield, which has burned to the ground. She finds out and sees that Thornfield Hall is a ruin; it burned down last fall from a fire Bertha Mason started. During the fire, Bertha killed herself from jumping from the battlements;Rochester was blinded and lost one of his arms from falling timber, when helping servants out of the house. He turned to depression and utter isolation after her disappearance.

Now he lives with two servants, John and Mary, at Ferndean Manor, thirty miles away. Jane journeys there that night, sees Rochester and makes herself known to him. He almost does not believe it is her, but finally is convinced, and blesses the Lord for returning Jane to him. He is utterly happy, and so is she, and despite his blindness and being a cripple, she accepts his hand in marriage. They marry three days later. Jane brings Adèle to a closer school and makes frequent visits. Mary and Diana marry and see her on a regular basis. St. John goes off to India. Jane gives birth to one baby boy of Rochester's. The novel ends with Jane telling us that she has been married to Rochester for ten years; she is happier than she could ever be, because they love each other so much, they are each other's better half and never tire of each other and that Mr. Rochester has regained some of the sight in his remaining eye.. They are perfectly suited for each other, and Jane is happy spending her life loving and helping Rochester, being his 'prop'. Characters Jane Main character of entire novel.

Young orphan who grows up, goes to school, works, marries, creates a life for herself. Jane displays genuine affection, goodness and complete lack of vindictiveness, even against Mrs. Reed and her family. Her goodness attracts affection from good people such as Miss Temple and later St John and his sisters. Her generosity speaks in giving away 75% of her money. She receives the generosity of St. John and his sisters and her uncle who she has never met. Her joy in discovering family is much greater than her joy in inheriting money. Her unpretentious character refuses Rochester's efforts to dress her up and pass her off as a glamorous high society woman for her marriage. She insists on being her plain old simple self and being accepted for that alone. Both she and Rochester have extraordinary insight into character and are able to read people perceptively from their facial expressions and behavior. Jane has a wonderful frankness that charms by being completely free of both pretense and malice as when she readily says she does not find him handsome. Jane's genuine affection enables him to recover vision in one eye. She has the strength of personality, intelligence and skill to handle Rochester when he demands and threatens she stay with him after confessing he is already married.

Her frankness and strength is what he admires so much in her. She so admires strength, that she nearly succumbs to St. John's demands that she marry him, even though there is no emotion on either side. Rochester Rochester is strong, passionate and intelligent. He uses strength and roughness to bully people. Jane is the first who is not intimidated by him. His goodness is shown by his adopting Adele and maintaining his mad wife instead of abandoning her and his efforts to save her life during the fire, which cost him an arm and an eye. St. John He is idealistic, honest, proper, dogmatic, ambitious and incapable of affectionate emotions. His natural goodness is demonstrated by the generosity with which he takes in Jane and cares for her when she falls on his doorstep. He shows the same care in tending to the needs of his parishioners, regardless of the risks to his own health. His refusal to reveal that he is also an Eyre speaks of his genuine unselfishness and idealism. He is passionately committed to sacrifice himself for the upliftment of the ‘heathens', whatever the risks to himself. His intense ambition is to please God and be righteous according to his own understanding.

He resorts to vital power and domination to claim Jane when he cannot do it by reason. Secondary Characters Mrs. Reed: Jane's harsh and cruel aunt who takes Jane in against her will, because of a promise made to her husband, Jane's late uncle. Eliza Reed: Mrs. Reed's second daughter who is rather more serious and quiet; she eventually becomes a noviate and then a Catholic nun. John Reed: Mrs. Reed's arrogant and spoiled son who likes to beat Jane for punishment and amusement. Georgiana Reed: Mrs. Reed's attractive and self-absorbed first daughter, who eventually marries well in London. Jane's mother: Jane Reed, who married against her family's wish, was disowned, and who died when Jane was a baby. Jane's father: John Eyre, a clergyman, who died with his wife. Bessie: The nurse at Gateshead Abbot: The maid at Gateshead. Mr. Reed: Mrs. Reed's late husband, and Jane's late uncle on her mother's side. Dr. Lloyd: The doctor who comes to see Jane after she has been ill in the Red-Room. He suggests to Mrs.

Reed that Jane go to school. Mr.Brocklehurst: The cruel, intolerant, overzealous and money-pinching master of Lowood Institution, a pastor, who humiliates Jane in public, when she comes to Lowood. Miss Miller: One of the teachers at Lowood. Miss Maria Temple: The superintendent of Lowood Institution, whom Jane wishes to emulate, and who cares for both Helen and Jane. Miss Scatcherd: The history teacher at Lowood, who often punishes Helen Burns with a whipping. Helen Burns: The overly mature, fatalistic, religious best friend of Jane while she is at Lowood; Helen dies early from tuberculosis at Lowood. Reverend Nasmyth: The man whom Miss Temple eventually marries. Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester: The master of Thornfield Hall, traditional Gothic male hero, and eventual husband of Jane Eyre. Mme Pierrot: Jane's French teacher at Lowood Institution. Leah: The maid at Thornfield Hall, who assists Grace Poole often. Grace Poole: The woman whom Rochester hires to watch over and care for his mad first wife, Bertha. Pilot: Rochester's dog. Rowland: Rochester's dead elder brother.

Miss Blanche Ingram: The beautiful, cold, snotty, arrogant and condescending upper-class woman whom Rochester leads to believe he wishes to marry. Mesrour: Rochester's horse. Mr. Mason: Bertha Mason, Rochester's first bride's, brother. He is from Jamaica, West Indies. Sibyl: The gypsy fortune-teller character played by Rochester. Doctor Carter: The surgeon who cares for Mr. Mason when Bertha attacks him. Bessie's sister: She dies. Robert Laven: Bessie's husband and the coachman of Gateshead Hall. Uncle John Eyre: The uncle of both Jane, St. John, Diana and Mary, who dies, lived in Madeira, and leaves Jane a fortune of twenty-thousand pounds. Mr. Briggs: The solicitor from London who handles Jane's fortune, and breaks up Rochester's attempt at a bigamous marriage. Bertha Mason: Rochester's first wife from Jamaica, who is mad and he keeps in his attic of Thornfield Hall. It was an arranged marriage. St. John Rivers: Jane's cold, exacting, distant and intellectual cousin who was the pastor of Morton Parish.

He asks Jane to marry him and go to India to do missionary work; she refuses and he goes alone. Diana Rivers: The beautiful, refined and caring first sister of St.John, and Jane's cousin. Mary Rivers: The quieter, more cautious but equally intelligent second sister of St.John, and also Jane's cousin. Hannah: The older woman/maid who lives with Mary and Diana at Moor House. Jane Elliot: The pseudonym which Jane takes on when she arrives at Moor House. Miss Rosamond Oliver: The beautiful and childlike heiress with whom St. John is in love. She eventually marries Mr. Granby. Mr. Granby: Wealthy Morton resident who marries Rosamond. Mary and John: Couple who takes care of Rochester at Ferndean Manor, when he is blind and crippled. Character of Life Having lost both her parents soon after birth, Jane had to endure 10 years of persecution by her aunt, Mrs. Reed, before she is sent away to Lowood School. Her strength of the character emerges from her suffering of early years.

At Lowood Miss Temple and Helen befriend her with kindness - she has outlived the need for cruelty and it has bread a strong, self-reliant, shy, unpretentious kind character in her. Mrs. Reed's prejudice and meanness is replaced by Miss Temple's objectivity and fairness, which Jane acquires from her. Her best friend, Helen, dies of TB - Jane still carries misfortunre. From Helen she acquires a pure and simple goodness and faith in God. When Brocklehurst loses his position and power over the school after the fatal plague, Jane is finally freed from persecution and enjoys more humane treatment for the first time in her life. Evil gives rise to good. Rochester falls and injures his leg at first sight of her. She is there to help Rochester when he falls from the horse - foreshadowing her future role in helping lift him from the depths to which he later falls psychologically. She is awakened in the night and there to save Rochester's life when his wife Bertie starts the fire in his room. Her aunt, who banished her and so mistreated her, is forced by conscience to call her back and reveal the existence of her uncle's letter.

It is actually Jane who professes her love (proposes) not Rochester. He has teased and taunted her into expressing her emotions, placing the onus on her out of his sense of guilt that what he does is wrong. The chestnut tree, Rochester proposes to her under is destroyed by lightning the very same night, split in two, signifying their own later separation. The marriage veil which Rochester gave her is destroyed. This was the sole gift she had accepted, she who wanted to avoid all semblance of social artifice and device. It gets destroyed. She refused to be what he wants to pretend she is. The night before their wedding, she dreams of carrying a small baby down a long road looking for Rochester and then sees Thornfield Hall burnt to the ground and deserted. When she is on the verge of marrying a bigamist, Mason comes to warn her and prevent a violation of her conscience. Jane being sincerely frank and good, she is protected from believing his false representations. Jane is brought at the moment of desperation and starvation to the very house of our sole living relatives. On the verge of surrendering to St.

John's demands for marriage, she hears Rochester's call which he actually issues at that very moment, and he hears her response. Their love is that true and intense. When Jane rejects a married Rochester and runs away, the same night Bertie burns down the hall and jumps to her death and Rochester loses an arm and use of both eyes. Jane is unable to marry Rochester until he is maimed and blinded and she becomes into an inheritance. The social gap between them was too wide to be bridged without his falling even further (after marrying a mad woman) and her rising. Female Protagonist Jane has a vivid imagination and romantic side which cause her to be passionate, "strange" as the Reeds call her, and more emotionally and verbally advanced than other children her age. She is also extremely perceptive, analytical and self-aware. Jane, after yelling at Mrs. Reed, realizes the later negativity of her words, despite their satisfactory nature at the time of performance. Breaking down after her public censure, Jane admits her human need for love and affection to Helen. Her words and emotions reveal the great passion of her personality, and the drama of her imagination.

Jane strongly expresses her newfound knowledge of her love for Rochester, unabashedly or dishonestly. Jane expresses herself very distinctly at seeing Rochester as she comes over the road, toward Thornfield. The symptoms add up, she is in love. Jane realizes she must look out for herself and live according to the values she has placed as significant in her life. Rochester finally becomes human for her--no longer an idol--the only locale of equality. Questions Both Jane and Rochester have suffered greatly in their earlier lives. She by her Mrs. Reed's treatment and the rigors of Lowood School; he by his father's preference for his brother and marriage to a mad woman. Can we say that their shared suffering is a source of their attraction and sympathy? How can a girl who suffered ill treatment from the time of her birth emerge with such genuine emotions and natural goodness, devoid of vindictiveness or meanness? How can a man who has such keen insight into human nature have married so blindly and foolishly?

Fictional Houses: from Thornfield to Eyre Hall | Rereading Jane Eyre Fictional Houses: from Thornfield to Eyre Hall Posted by lucciagray Throughout literature houses, or buildings where people have converged have become central elements and powerful symbols in the creative process. According to Gaston Bachelard in The Poetics of Space ( La Poétique de l’Espace, 1958), the house becomes the representation of the universe. It can also be examined as the manifestation of the soul through the poetic image. Houses in literature are often places of intimacy which can hold memories, experiences, they can also keep secrets, and arouse sensations, merging into the action by becoming a witness, accomplice, and even instigator of events. In any case, the symbolic value of houses cannot be underestimated. It would be impossible to mention all the houses in English literature. The aim of this brief overview is to bring our attention to the importance of houses by reminding us of some of the most significant literary houses, which have become part of our collective unconscious. We could start with the Herot, the Mead Hall in the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, which J. R. R.

Tolkien recreated as Meduseld (meaning mead hall in Old English) in Middle-earth, a richly decorated meeting and gathering hall for the King and his advisors. Herot was both a seat of government and as royal residence, symbolizing civilization and culture, wealth, safety, and merriment, in contrasts with the darkness, danger, and evil of the swamp waters inhabited by the monster, Grendel. A reconstructed Viking Age longhouse (28.5 metres long) in Fyrkat Our next stop would be at the The Tabard Inn, in the London borough of Southwark, which accommodated the numerous pilgrims on their way to their annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, fictionalised by Geoffrey Chaucer in the The Canterbury Tales. The Inn keeper, Harry Bailly, accompanies the pilgrims on their journey and proposed that each tell two tales on the way to Canterbury.

The Tabard Inn, Southwark, around 1850 Hamlet’s tortured speeches, Ophelia’s singing, his father’s ghost, the deaths of Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet himself, are inseparable from the place where they took place, Elsinore Castle, in Denmark. Helsingoer Kronborg Castle known by many also as “Elsinore,” the setting of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The novel which is considered to initiate the gothic genre is set in and called, The Castle of Otranto, written by Horace Walpole. Many more gothic novels are set in singular buildings, such as Count Dracula’s dark and ruined castle inhabited by vampires, recreated by Bram Stoker. By Horace Walpole. Title page from the third edition Moving to the early 19th century, Jane Austen writes about more stately and luxurious houses, such as Pemberley, the fictional country estate owned by Mr. Darcy, in Pride and Prejudice. The beauty of the house plays a key role in Elizabeth Bennet’s attitude towards Darcy and leads to her reappraisal of her first negative opinion of Mr.

Darcy. Harewood House, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, was the setting for Pemberley in the ITV fantasy series Lost in Austen. The middle and end of the 19th century and Victorian literature saw a return to somber abodes, after a brief period of delightful Regency homes. The Bronte sisters resumed the gothic atmosphere in their characters’ dwellings. Wuthering Heights is the name of the inhospitable farmhouse where the story unfolds, and Thrushcross Grange, where the pleasant Lintons lived, represents comfort, peace and refinement. igh Sunderland Hall, near Halifax, West Yorkshire is considered by some as the inspiration for Wuthering Heights. Thornfield Hall, is the unforgettable gothic mansion which Jane Eyre describes thus on her arrival as governess: ‘I looked up and surveyed the front of the mansion. It was three storeys high, of proportions not vast, though considerable: a gentleman’s manor-house, not a nobleman’s seat: battlements round the top gave it a picturesque look.

Its grey front stood out well from the background of a rookery, whose cawing tenants were now on the wing: they flew over the lawn and grounds to alight in a great meadow, from which these were separated by a sunk fence, and where an array of mighty old thorn trees, strong, knotty, and broad as oaks, at once explained the etymology of the mansion’s designation.’ Thornfield was allegedly burnt down by Bertha Mason, the first Mrs. Rochester. Towards the end of the novel, Jane returns and finds it a ‘blackened ruin.’ Haddon Hall has appeared on television in 2006 as Thornfield Hall in Diederick Santer’s 2006 BBC version of Jane Eyre In the sequel, All Hallows at Eyre Hall, Richard Mason begins the narration by describing Eyre Hall, a house Jane Eyre rebuilt on the grounds of her beloved Thornfield Hall. ‘The carriage swayed its way up the birch lined driveway towards Eyre Hall, tunnelling through the ghostly morning mist.

The muggy air reeked of wilting foliage and soggy earth as the carriage halted abruptly, and the coachman closed and barred the heavy yard gates. The vehicle rocked as he leapt on, spurring the horses back into movement. Seconds later, I stepped out unsteadily onto crunchy gravel, adjusted my cloak and hat, and looked up to the rebuilt mansion for the first time. Twenty-three years had passed since my last visit to another house in this same spot, when I was bitten by a raging lioness fighting to preserve her offspring and her reason.’ Eyre Hall has a central role in the novel, having witness the events which have occurred in the last twenty-two years, since Jane married Rochester. Eyre Hall will continue to witness the surprising events that will lead up to Rochester’s death, and thereafter. Another unforgettable fictional dwelling is Satis House, the sinister mansion where Pip meets the spellbinding Estella, and the enigmatic Miss Havisham, is as powerful as any of the characters in Great Expectations.

According to the biographer John Forster, the novelist Charles Dickens, who lived nearby, used Restoration House as a model for Miss Havisham’s Satis House in Great Expectations Manderlay, the house where Max de Winter lived with Rebecca, and his nameless second wife and narrator of Rebecca, is one of the most famous houses in 20th century literature, and one of the most memorable novels written by Daphne du Maurier. Du Maurier’s Childhood visits to Milton Hall, Cambridgeshire, home of the Fitzwilliam family, influenced the descriptions of Manderley, especially the interior. Brideshead Castle, where Lord Sebastian Flyte, the younger son of the aristocratic Lord Marchmain’s family mansion, takes his eccentric Oxford friends to meet his family, still breathes the atmosphere of pre-war England, while passively observing changing times, recreated by Evelyn Waugh, in 1945. Harewood House, seen from the garden.

It has featured in both the television and film versions of Brideshead Revisited Not all novels are set in houses, and houses many not even be significant elements in a novel, but when the character’s abode is central to the action, it becomes one of the most enduring elements in the novel. I hope that readers of All Hallows at Eyre Hall, Volume One of the Eyre Hall Trilogy will feel they have been walking along its corridors and up the stairs into the bed chambers, or sitting in the drawing room by the fireplace, or looking out of the windows towards the wintry landscape. Perhaps they even feel the ghosts of Thornfield lurking around, as Jenny Rosset, one of the characters says to Richard Mason: ‘I was at Thornfield, as you know, but I’ve never been to the new house. It’s in the same spooky place. I bet it’s full of them ghosts I heard at Thornfield. They live in the tree trunks and earth caves around the house. They whisper in the night, sometimes they come out and play mischief.’ Which are your favourite literary houses? In case you don’t remember all their names, there is a much longer list of fictional houses here.

Jane Eyre: Popular Penguins | Penguin Books Australia Jane Eyre: Popular Penguins Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre to this day entrances readers with its passionate portrayal of a woman struggling to make a life for herself in a cruel and indifferent world. As orphan Jane becomes governess at Thornfield Hall, she falls in love with her employer, Mr Rochester, only to discover that he has a terrible secret, one which may jeopardize their future happiness. Jane Eyre's struggle for independence has echoed with readers ever since. Format & Editions Jane Eyre | Penguin Books Australia Charlotte Brontë Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, where she endures loneliness and cruelty, and at a charity school with a harsh regime. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit – which prove necessary when she finds a position as governess at Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving the man she loves?

A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre (1847) dazzled and shocked readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom. Format & Editions Jane Eyre Review : Red Carpet News TV Red Carpet News TV Posted by RCNTV on Monday, April 30, 2012 · Leave a Comment The Plot - Orphaned as a baby, Jane Eyre endures years of cruel treatment at the hands of her Aunt and then at a viscious boarding school, but her life finally changes when she becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall – and meets Mr Rochester, a brooding hero with a dark secret. He captures Jane’s long-buried imagination, and is in turn captivated by her. It is Charlotte Brontë’s most famous novel and has been adapted for the screen over twenty times. The Good - This latest version is directed by Cary Fukunaga, cinema’s hipster director du jour, and he combines the vintage with the (post)modern to bring a freshness that’s been lacking in recent years.

It’s out with the old and in with the new – instead of the classic “period drama” feel (there’s not a country dance or heaving bosom in sight) Fukunaga focuses on the novel’s Gothic roots, playing up the darkness of Thornfield Hall and the secret buried within it. This is also the first adaptation with a different beginning to the novel, a brave restructuring by screenwriter Moira Buffini. It pays off, giving old fans a new way to look at the material, and those watching it for the first time will never notice the difference. In fact the film is perfect for newcomers – despite the new structure the film balances the different plot lines perfectly, thinning out the dramatis personae and focusing increased attention on a reduced cast. It’s Jane’s emotional journey – the novel’s core – that takes centre stage. More than anything, it is stars Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender who shine.

Wasikowska is a revelation as Jane, with a compellingly calm demeanour that makes more of her physical performance than it does her words – perhaps strange for an adaptation from a novel, but another new approach that’s emphasised by dialogue-free sequences and Jane’s quiet observations, passages not often seen on screen but vital to the character. As a result, Wasikowska’s Jane is a more vivid portrait than those that came before her. Fassbender does present an immediate problem – he’s too handsome. Mr Rochester was never designed to be handsome, but Fassbender more than makes up for the pretty face with an intimidating and captivating performance. He captures the ugliness in Rochester without sacrificing the charm, and the two leads sizzle together in every scene. Their exchanges give energy to what would otherwise be a much slower film, and combined with the return to the Gothic – flickering candles and dark, haunting architecture – their encounters are mesmerising. The Bad - It’s difficult to pinpoint negatives – this film feels like the culmination of the previous twenty or so adaptation, flaws finally perfected and pace tightened – but you can find them if you look.

Fukunaga is lucky that his two leads have so much chemistry – without it the film would have been too slow, missing the injection of energy that Wasikowska and Fassbender provide. There’s also a danger that it wonders too far over into arthouse territory; the dialogue-free sequences often feel like they’ve been borrowed from the indie school of shorts shot on Canon 5Ds, both in aesthetic and colouring. As part of a whole it works to contrast with the darker tones elsewhere, but it can be jarring. It would be nice to see more of the other female characters too. Approaching the cast list as “less is more” does wonders for the film, but it’s the women who disappear. Only Jane and Mrs Fairfax (and arguably the young Adèle) really survive the cut – Diana and Mary Rivers are relegated to a few scenes each, and Jane’s cousins Eliza and Georgiana vanish completely. One of the novel’s most essential women is only seen once. Jane Eyre is often called the first protofeminist novel, and it’s sad to see it lose some of those female voices.

The Ugly Truth - Superb performances, innovation and veneration in equal measure, and visually stunning, Jane Eyre captures the essence of the novel and the character in a way never done before. A worthy work for fans of the novel to enjoy and a perfect introduction for newcomers, this latest Jane Eyre is the adaptation the world has been waiting for. Review by Sophie Wing

Question: In a famous novel, who becomes governess of Thornfield Hall ?
Answer: Jane Eyre